Cloth-testing machine.



G. AYER. CLOTH TESTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SAN.6, l9l5.

LQ3L231 PatentedJune 26,1917.

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GEORGE A. AYER, OF EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 WEST BOYLSTON MANUFACTURING (30., 0F EASTHAIVIPTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTH-TESTING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J 11116 26, 1917..

Application filed January 6, 1915. Serial No. 749.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE A. AYER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Easthampton, county of Hampshire, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Cloth-Testing Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to cloth testing machines. These machines are constructed to furnish means for ascertaining one of the qualities of clothits tensile strength.

It is customary to provide such machines with jaws which are clamped together by means of thumb screws. The operation of these gripping means, due to their structural location, is more or less awkward and represents a relatively large portion of the time factor involved in conducting such a test.

The object of this improved cloth testing machine is to provide adjustable clamping jaws which are readily and easily operated.

Another object is to secure jaws which are powerful in their gripping force and function positively and quickly.

Other objects of the invention will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In this novel construction, the jaws are pivoted adj acent their lower ends and aslide is interposed between the two jaws. This slide operatively engages thelever of said jaws preferably having a wedgeshaped portion at its upper end merging into an outwardly turned cam surface which eflecttiates the forcible separation of the upper parts of the pivoted jaws and results, due to the great leverage obtained, in the powerful gripping quality of the clamping portion of the jaws. This cam-surface bearing slide is actuated'by means of a handle conveniently located adjacent the jaws. The handle is adapted to rotate a small pinion which engages teeth carried by this slide and positive movement of the slide is thereby attained. The handleis so constructed that when the jaws are in operative posi tion, the handle is retained out of the way. And, to allow for necessary adjustment for different thicknesses of cloth, the handle is provided with a toothed plunger which is adapted selectively to engage difierent teeth clamping members;

sion indicating means,

socket 12, is in turn,

cated in the runway testing machine;

F ig 2 is a side elevation of one of the Fig. 3 is a front elevation, partially broken away, of a clamping memberthe handle being shown in a different position from that in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the rack and pinion;

Fig. 5 is a sectional Fig. 4.

The cloth testing machine, ferred construction, consists of a standard 1, with a suitable base 2. Midway the standard is affixed the gear 8 actuated through a worm or other suitable gear, not shown, by the driven pulley 4. The cloth 5, the tensile strength of which is to be tested, is secured between the upper and view on the line 5-5,

in this pre- -lower clamping members 6 and 7, respectively. The to the scale beam 8 which is balanced at 9,

member 6 is pivotally ailixed 1ts fulcrum arm being attached to the ten comprising a dial l0 and its hand 11. The indicating means together with the scale beam 8 is borne by the upper'portion of the standard 1. The member 7 is adjustably secured to the socket 12 by means of the set screw 13, while the preferably formed in adapted to be reciproformed by the twin flanged strips 15 and 16 attached to the standard 1. The slide 14 is reciprocated by means of the rod 17, the lower end of which is pivotally connected to the slide and retained by means of a suitable washer nut 18. The upper end of the rod 17 is connected to the gear 3 by means of a stud 19 secured to the face of the gear 3. The gear 3 is adapted to be actuated counter-clockwise when a piece of cloth 5 is being-tested and the resultant motion of the slide 14 is in a vertically downward direction.

The upper and lower clamping members are similar and consist as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, of the opposed jaws 21 and 22, pivotally secured. together at 23': The relatively the slide 14 which is fixed jaw 21 at its upper end is bifurcated and is adapted to have pivotally secured between its cars a link 24 by which means it is aflixed to the scale beam 8. The lower end of the jaw 21 terminates in an irregularly toothed portion 25. The movable jaw 22 has, at its lower end, a similar and opposed toothed portion 26, pivoted at 27, and is adapted, in combination with the toothed portion 25 of the other jaw 21, firmly to grip a piece of cloth.

The actuation of the clamping members is simple and their gripping function is readily and positively accomplished by means of the handle 28 rotatably affixed On a stud 29 which is journaled in the jaw 21.

The handle is centrally bored and adapted to receive therethrough a rod 30 carrying at its inner end a plunger 31, reciprocal in the enlarged boring 32 of the handle. The plunger is normally held in engagement, by the coiled spring 20, with the teeth 33 of a wheel 34 which is secured to the stud 29 by a key 35. The stud 29 also carries rotatable therewith a pinion 36 keyed thereto at 37. This pinion vertically reciprocates a rack 38 which is slidably mounted in a runway 39 formed in the fixed jaw 21 and which is thus secured therein by the flanges 41 which are, in turn, alfixed to the jaw by means of suitable screws 42. The upper end of this rack terminates in a wedge-shaped element 43 having on its under side a cam surface 44 which, as the rack descends, causes the upper end 45 of the movable jaw 22 to ride out its face and thus to rock the jaw 22 about the pivot 23. This outward movement of the end 45 efiectuates the opposite and inward motion of the toothed portion 26 forcing the opposed jaw portions together. The leverage attained by exerting the outward pressure upon the long arm of the lever fulcrum at 23 is very great and effects the retentive holding of a piece of fabric inserted in the jaws. The fabric being "thus held, the pulley 4 is actuated, the gear 3 slowly revolved causing the rod 17 to push downwardly the slide 14, whence the lower clamping member is pulled away from the upper and the tension upon the cloth therebetween is indicated by the dial.

It is to be understood that the construction disclosed herein is illustrative but not restrictive and that the same may be modified within the meaning and scope of the claims which follow.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a cloth testing machine, a clamping member comprising a fixed and a relatively movable jaw, means for closing said jaws including a rack slidably mounted upon the fixed jaw and having means operable to engage the movable jaw, a pinion engaging said rack and having a rigidly attached shaft mounted in bearings on said fixed jaw, a handle rotatably mounted on said shaft, a peripherally recessed member keyed on said shaft, and a spring-pressed plunger carried by said handle adapted to engage selectively said recesses. V

2. In a cloth testing machine, a clamping member comprising gripping jaws, means for actuating said jaws including a rack and a pinion having a rigidly attached shaft mounted in one of said'jaws, a handle rotatably mounted upon said shaft and means carried by said handle adapted operatively but detachably to engage said shaft.

3. In a cloth testing machine, a clamping member comprising a fixed and a relatively movable jaw, means for closing said jaws including a rack slidably mounted upon the fixed aw and having means operable to engage the movable jaw, a pinion engaging said rack and having a rigidly attached shaft mounted in bearings on said fixed jaw, a handle rotatably mounted upon said shaft and means carried by said handle adapted operatively but detachably to engage said shaft.

4. In a device of the class described, a clamping member comprising a fixed and a relatively movable jaw, means for closing said jaws including a rack slidably mounted upon the fixed jaw and having a cam engaging the movable jaw, a pinion engaging said rack and having a rigidly attached shaft mounted in bearings on said fixed jaw, a handle rotatably mounted upon said shaft and means carried bv said handle adapted operatively but detachably to engage said shaft.

5. In a cloth testing machine, a clamping member, comprising a fixed jaw and a movable jaw, said jaws having opposed gripping means at one end, said movable jaw being pivotally secured tosaid fixed jaw, a rack slidably mounted upon said fixed jaw adjacent said movable jaw, means operable by said rack to actuate the latter and a pinion carried by said fixed jaw adapted to reciprocate said rack'whereby said mov able jaw may be actuated about the pivot and the gripping means retentively closed.

6. In a cloth testing machine, a clamping member, comprising a fixed. jaw and a movable aw pivotally secured to the fixed jaw, said jaws having opposed gripping means at one end, a rack adapted to reciprocate between said jaws, a pinion adapted to actuate said rack, means for manually actuating said pinion, a cam surface on the rack adapted to engage the upper face of said movable jaw whereby said jaw may be actuated and the gripping means retentively closed.

7. In a cloth testing machine, a clothg'ripping means, the members thereof having pivoted clamping relation, an instrumentality slidaibly mounted between said members and movable to close the same into clamping position, and means rotatable to move said instrumentality.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my GEORGE A. AYER. Witnesses J. H. SKINNER, M. L. COMEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

- Washington, D. G. 

